After we stopped by Point Loma, we checked out Shelter Island on the way home. I thought that we would just see some gulls, but it was a total jackpot of birds! There were a ton of pelicans and gulls hanging out on the pier eating the remnants of the fish that fishermen were throwing away, as well as seals begging for leftovers. There were also several birds living in the large palms around the shore.

We were there around lunch time and the amount of birds was impressive so this is one of those rare places that have good birds mid-day. If you are ever wanting to see shorebirds up close, this is the place to be. They were just so unafraid of us.

We saw four terns at Shelter Island on September 20th. At first glance, they seem to be Least Terns which we’ve seen a lot at Batiquitos Lagoon since that is one of their protected breeding grounds. They are the smallest terns you really get around this area and they fly with this agility and speed that I feel aren’t quite matched by other larger terns.

So, when we saw these terns, we both immediately thought Least Terns, of course! Now that I’m back home and looking at the shots though, I’m starting to second guess myself. Mostly, because Least Terns aren’t really known to be in this area of town and because I don’t remember the tops of the wings being so dark. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a shot of a tern next to anything for size comparison so I’m showing all the shots I did get even if they are fuzzy.

I would love some thoughts if you have any. Here is a map of the location that we spotted them.